Thursday, March 25, 2010

Today's the Day ...

As you already know by now (thanks to Donna’s blog from Tuesday!), today is the official RITA and Golden Heart contest call day.

Somebody out there is going to get THE CALL!!!

If it's you, we want to know! Leave us a comment and we'll celebrate with you!!

But meanwhile, here in the Lair, we Banditas are on edge. Even if we don't have an entry in the contest, we know someone—make that many someones—who do. So you’ll forgive us if our nerves are showing!

Will the phone ever ring??

Forget trying to concentrate on blogging today. As Donna mentioned, most of us are still contest whor--uh, divas! Yes, we all still love to enter contests. And can you blame us? After all, it was just three short years ago that we Banditas first met after we each received the call telling us that our entry had finaled in the prestigious Golden Heart contest. (Really? Only three years ago? Seems like a lifetime!) So yes, contests--especially the RITA and Golden Heart--are near and dear to our hearts. And no, there won’t be much concentrating on important topics today. We’re all just going to sit around giggling and shrieking together. Please join us. Share your news!

Wait! Was that the phone???

Oh.

No, sorry, that was the cat. Sorry, kitty.

Anyway, do come into the Lair and share your news! Piero, Sebastian and Travis, our cabana boys for the day, will be around to offer you a lovely glass of champagne. We’re toasting to all the good news.

And don’t miss the three-tiered deluxe warm and gooey chocolate fountain. It’s always the best place to drown your sorrows should the need arise. Don’t feel bad. We’ve all been there.

But we prefer to think positive thoughts. :-)

Good luck, everyone!!!

So while we’re all waiting for the phone to ring, here’s a subject I’ve been thinking about lately. I spent the last few days with some author friends and most of the talk centered around big contemporary romance. Is it making a comeback? I hope so! What about you? Love it? Hate it? Why? Why not? Who are your favorites? I’ll start the list with Susan Mallery (can’t wait for her Fool’s Gold series to begin!), Lisa Kleypas (loved Smooth Talking Stranger) and Kristan Higgins (I’ve read Catch of the Day at least three times already). How about you?

I only recently started reading contemparies and am really loving them I have read 2 of Robin Kaye's and her 3rd is on the TBR pile and I am looking forward to it I have loved Marie Force's 2 that I have read also. I have yet to read a Susan Mallery but I have friends who love her books of course again today my must have list is going to grow LOL

Don't you love it

I think I will have a glass of champagne and hit that chocolate fountain

I'm a Kristin Higgins fan ever since she guest blogged with us some times ago. I love writers with a good sense of humor (yourself included). Sorry to say I haven't read Susan Mallory's books but I believe they are on the ever-growing TBR pile. So many good books...so little time.

Good luck to everyone who has a dog in the race tomorrow. Be sure to share your good news!

I hope there is loads of good news for the Banditas and their friends! I'm haunting the blogs today in search of news. :-)

I love contemporary romances, though the market in the UK where I am is pretty different and US authors who I think of as contemporary romance writers (like Jennifer Crusie and SEP) are marketed more as women's fiction titles, because there's really no such thing as contemporary straight romance here. There are some fab UK contemporary writers, like Lisa Jewell, Marian Keyes and Katie Fforde, though they're more on the women's fiction side.

Great post, Kate! Good luck to all of you who will be waiting by the phone today! I'll be in an all-day training class so won't be able to check back in until I get home tonight. :(

I love contemporaries and many of my favorite authors have already been mentioned. Another one I enjoy a lot is Toni Blake. Her 2009 release, ONE RECKLESS SUMMER was one of my favorite books of last year.

Have to run. Hope it's a great party day in the lair!

Helen, congrats on nabbing the GR! Your day is sure to be exciting! lol

Good luck to all! I read a wide variety of genres, including contemporary fiction. Susan Mallery, Sandra Brown, Nora Roberts and Lori Foster are just a few of the great contemporary authors, along with so many wonderful Harlequin and Silhouette writers. With movie tie-ins, soundtracks, marketing merchandise and etc., contemporary fiction is rocking the house!

Hey Gabrielle! So glad you popped in!! Grins. Gabrielle was my first call in what was the wee hours of the morning for me. Grins. Mid-afternoon for her. How's that cold, Gabrielle? (Saw your post on Facebook)

Helen, our phone is always ringing off the hook, too! Lord help me when Shary gets to her teen years because, as a 10-year-old, she's already getting (girlfriend) calls.

I used to read contemps all the time: Harlequin, Silhouette, Love Inspired. But, I've been "stuck in time" of Regency or Medieval England for the last several years. I have read a couple of contemps in the last few months because of friends' recs and reviews and enjoyed them, so I may have to start balancing my reading of historicals and contemporaries.

Donna, in talking about series contemporary, several people mentioned Kristan Higgins today. I had the privledge of calling HER today. Grins. Her book Too Good to be True is a RITA finalist, so hey, the contemp IS on the rise!

I agree, Anna. It's very scary, entering these contests. So step right up, everyone, and grab some champagne -- or join me here at the chocolate fountain! Yummers. Is there any better way to celebrate all that courage? :-)

Wow, what great news to discover here! So many bandits and bandit buddies. Gillian, HUGE congratulations, so excited for you. Hope that means we can raise a glass together in your honor in Nashville. Congratulations, Banditas Beth and KJ! You girls rock. Congratulations, Vanessa, who finalled in YA! Congratulations to guests and buddies, Gabrielle, Elizabeth H, Kristan H, Deb Marlowe (huge congrats to Deb who is such a supporter of our blog!), Ammanda McCabe, Courtney Milan, Kelly Hunter, and I'm sure I've forgotten some of our visitors. Yay, everyone!

Whoo Hoo Beth Gabrielle Gilian and Vanessa so far I am sure the list is going to grow today I am so excited for you all

WAY TO GO LADIES

Jeanne it must be such an honour to ring the finalist and your first call was to Australia YAY

As for the chook today he is going to help me look after 15 month old Jake while Bec is at work teaching English and History to high school students and is he in for some fun with Jake but I will give him some Tim Tams when Jake goes home I am sure he and I will need a rest LOL.

Deb I have lived thru having 4 teenagers in my house and the phone never stopped ringing these days most of their calls come to their mobile phones and not the house phone those to the house phone are all for hubby and me LOL

Hi Julie! Interesting how the marketing is different in the UK. I think Kristan Higgins might be considered women's fiction, but SEP? Seems like romance to me! On the other hand, romance IS women's fiction, so ... hmm. I think I like the UK style better. :-)

Anna, you know I'm the biggest Susan Mallery fan, too! I can't wait for her Fool's Gold series to start. And seriously, once you've read one Kristan Higgins, you're going to want to read every one of them. I would start with CATCH OF THE DAY. It's wonderful!!

Hi Laurie, welcome to the Lair today! I think you've captured the names of every contemp. romance author out there. You're obviously a big fan, like me. I love them all!

PJ, good luck in your all-day class. And thanks for the recommendation on Toni Blake. I've met her and wanted to read her, but didn't know quite where to start. I'm adding ONE RECKLESS SUMMER to my *to buy* list right now. :-)

Hey Gannon, thanks for stopping by today! And thanks for reminding me that, oops, I forgot to mention Nora! I love everything she writes. I'm waiting for #3 of her bride quartet. It should be out any day now...

Joanie! LOL .... that cat was for you!! I was hoping it would make you laugh. :-)

Jeanne, how fun to be making those happy calls! It must be exciting to know you're about to change someone's life in a very good way. :-)

Hey, Ms. Hellion! Do not worry, no kitties were harmed in the making of this blog. :-)

Hi Deb, glad you stopped by! Wow, I can just imagine the phone bill a 10-year-old generates! LOL. And you sound like me with your genre-specific reading. I can spend a year reading only contemporary, then if I just happen to pick up a historical, I'm on a historical jag for months!

It has been a big day! I offer mygood wishes to all who were enteredinto the competition. "Congratu-lations" to all who received THECALL! And to those who were notcalled, you are still TOPS in mybook!! WOO-HOO!!

Thanks for visiting everyone!! This has been an amazing day and we are an amazing group! Congratulations to all the finalists and to everyone who didn't final, well, hmph. Here's a fresh glass of champagne to ease the pain. I've got mine. Cheers!

Oh, and darling Piero has generously offered all of us the opportunity to rub his impressive body in chocolate and ... well, I suppose the rest is up to your imagination. ;-)

Popping in late, and celebrating with everyone!! whoohoo, Banditas Beth and KJ and BB Vanessa!!

No phone call here...but was busy chasing grandbabies all day. (Was informed by Granddaughter when asked who makes the best homemade chicken nuggets..."Gramma Suzy"...so will take that praise instead.)

Popping in late to say HUGE congrats to the Banditas and Buddies who finaled. I am THRILLED for each and every one of you!

And commiserations with those who did not. VraiAnna is right. Some darned good books didn't make it, but having the cajones to enter is the real test! I raise my glass to all of those who passed the test!!

Forward Page

September Releases

Still Available

Headlines

Donna MacMeans, Trish Milburn, and Nancy Northcott will all be in Atlanta for the Moonlight and Magnolias conference in Decatur, Georgia September 30 through October 2nd. If you're in the area, stop by for the booksigning. We'd love to see you.

Redeeming the Rogue by Donna MacMeans received a 4.5 star TOP PICK! review from Romantic Times Magazine.

Living in Color by Trish Milburn is now available on Kindle, Smashwords and at barnesandnoble.com for the Nook.